Cyber Incident Victim: Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board
Date:
Apr 2025
Location:
Nigeria
Summary
The Joint Admissions and MatriculationBoard (JAMB) reported that DSS and police arrested twenty individuals suspected of hacking its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results, noting that the suspects belong to a larger syndicate believed to exceed one hundred members that targets examination bodies such as the board and NECO. The board confirmed technical errors disrupted the test for candidates across 157 centres in Lagos and Owerri zones, affecting approximately 206,610 candidates in Lagos and 173,387 in Owerri, and said the problem was traced to an omission in the LAG category of items. Calls have emerged for the resignation of the board’s registrar amid the controversy.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On Friday,April 25, 2025, operatives of the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police Force arrested twenty individuals in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for allegedly hacking the results of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. The suspects are reported to be members of a syndicate believed to comprise more than one hundred persons that specializes in compromising the computer servers of examination bodies such as JAMB and the National Examinations Council. The arrests were made in connection with the 2025 Computer‑based test examinations.
Following the arrests, public controversy grew over the conduct of the 2025 UTME, with many Nigerians calling for the resignation of JAMB Registrar Professor Is‑haq Oloyede. JAMB subsequently confirmed that technical errors had disrupted the examination results for candidates across 157 centres located in the Lagos and Owerri zones. Professor Oloyede stated that within twenty‑four hours of intensive work the board was able to isolate the source of the problem. He detailed that sixty‑five centres, representing 206,610 candidates, were affected in the Lagos zone, while ninety‑two centres, representing 173,387 candidates, were affected in the Owerri zone.
Professor Oloyede explained that the issue was identified on the second day of the examinations, which fell on Friday, April 25, 2025, when officials discovered an omission in the items within the LAG category. The board’s statement indicated that the omission contributed to the disruption of results for the affected centres. No further details about the nature of the omission or any remedial measures were provided in the source.